Departmental Absenteeism

David Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many staff of her Office were recorded absent due to non-medical reasons on  (a) 2 February 2009 and  (b) 3 February 2009; what estimate she has made of the (i) cost to her Office and (ii) number of working hours lost due to such absence; and what guidance her Office issued to staff in respect of absence on those days.

Tessa Jowell: Guidance was issued to staff that they should follow Cabinet Office policy on dealing with transport domestic emergencies.
	Short periods of special leave with pay are authorised and recorded by managers and not held centrally. To obtain this information in relation to 2 and 3 February 2009 would represent a disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games 2012: Facilities

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2008,  Official Report, column 3W, on Olympic Games 2012: facilities, if she will place in the Library a copy of the full final KPMG report on Olympic venues.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) published a redacted version of the KPMG findings on 19 December 2008. A copy of the KPMG findings, which looked at whether cost savings could be made on the 2012 temporary venues, is available in the House Library. For continuing reasons of commercial sensitivity and so as to not prejudice the ODA's and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games discussions and negotiations on contracts they have not yet awarded for the temporary venues, I am unable to place a non-redacted version of the KPMG findings in the Library.

Olympic Games 2012: Facilities

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2008,  Official Report, column 3W, on Olympic Games 2012: facilities, what the  (a) initial estimated and  (b) outturn cost to the public purse was of the KPMG report on Olympic venues.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 26 March 2009
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) commissioned KPMG from its Financial Services Panel via a call off contract, on an agreed hourly rate, at an estimated cost of £105,000 plus VAT. Additional scope was added to the original remit, to include more venues and more detailed consultation, and therefore the final cost of the KPMG work to the ODA is £175,000 plus VAT.

Performing Arts

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1288W, what the cost was to his Department of engaging musicians on each of those two occasions.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office engaged a quartet in January 2007, at a cost of £600 and a musician to play the Clàrsach in September 2007, at a cost of £80.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1518W, how many rounds of  (a) 0.338 ammunition of all natures,  (b) 12 bore shotgun ammunition,  (c) 30 mm armoured fighting vehicle ammunition of all natures,  (d) 30 mm attack helicopter ammunition of all natures and  (e) 105 mm ammunition of all natures were used in Operation Herrick 7.

John Hutton: Officials are collating and validating the data needed and this is taking longer than anticipated. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Data Protection

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Interim Report on Data Handling Procedures in Government, 17 December 2007, if he will issue guidance on the use of removable electronic media by staff in his Department.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury continually reassesses its security standards, procedures and risks to ensure that it is providing high levels of security for its data and other assets. Changes have been implemented in response to the Interim Report on Data handling Procedures, and the intention is to further strengthen existing procedures during 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department plans to reply to the letter of 30 January 2009 from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford Ref: 4/32912/2009, on his constituent, Mr. Simon Payne of Chelmsford.

Angela Eagle: I replied to the hon. Member on 23 February.

Tax Credit Office: Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct the Chief Executive of the Tax Credit Office to reply to the hon. Member for Totnes' letters of 5 February and 3 March 2009, on the issues surrounding Mrs. Yvonne Allen of Salcombe's working tax credits following the loss of her records by HM Revenue and Customs.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs have advised me that they will reply to the hon. Member shortly and apologise for the delay in doing so.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 156, on rape crisis centres, on what date her officials initiated discussions with Rape Crisis England and Wales and the Survivors Trust on rape crisis centre funding for the forthcoming financial year; which Ministers she has met to discuss funding for rape crisis centres since 1 January 2009; and how many such meetings have been held.

Maria Eagle: Government officials have been working on an ongoing basis with Rape Crisis (England and Wales) and The Survivors' Trust on sustainability and funding to the sexual violence voluntary sector. Meetings have been held at official and ministerial level. I would like to thank both Rape Crisis (England and Wales) and the Survivors' Trust for their constructive and ongoing dialogue and support in this regard.
	I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on this matter through the Inter Ministerial Group on Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence.

Legislation

John Baron: To ask the Leader of the House with reference to the ministerial correction of 10 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 3-4MC, on the Parliamentary session, how many hours the House spent considering  (a) primary and  (b) delegated legislation on the floor of the House in the 2007-08 Session.

Chris Bryant: The information requested is published in the Sessional Returns for Session 2007-08 (HC 1 of Session 2008-09), pages 34-36 and can be found online at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/csession/1/001.pdf

Further Education: Capital Investment

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 4 March 2009,  Official Report, column 55WS, on capital investment (further education colleges), which colleges have been granted approval in principle; which colleges have pending bids to the national Learning and Skills Council for approval in principle; and which colleges have been given funding by the Learning and Skills Council to carry out feasibility studies into proposed capital building projects.

Si�n Simon: Capital funding for Further Education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to decisions and records held by the Council, I have asked Geoff Russell, the LSC Acting Chief Executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Capital Investment

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Holland and the Deepings of 16 March 2009,  Official Report, column 904W, on further education: finance, when he plans to place in the Library the copy of the letter.

Si�n Simon: I understand that Mark Haysom, the then chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council, wrote to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 23 March. A copy of that letter should be available in the House Libraries shortly.

Further Education: Capital Investment

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 4 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 55-6WS, on capital investment (further education colleges), what steps the Learning and Skills Council has taken to keep interested hon. Members informed on the progress and status of schemes in their area.

Si�n Simon: Capital funding for Further Education colleges is administrated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). As the information requested pertains to communications activity undertaken by the Council, I have asked Geoffrey Russell, the acting LSC chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the further information requested. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Governing Bodies

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many times the Learning and Skills Council has used its powers under section 11 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 since 1 January 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The power set out at Section 11 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, enables the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to appoint up to two persons to the governing body of a further education (FE) college. This power is a general power which enables the LSC to appoint additional governors to a college corporation to provide additional skills, knowledge or expertise as appropriate.
	The power may also be used as part of an intervention response. However, the power is independent of the LSC's powers of intervention and evidence of failure is not a pre-condition for the power to be used.
	The LSC has confirmed that, since its creation on 1 April 2001, it has used the power on 33 occasions, appointing a total of 51 governors.

Goldman Sachs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 974W, on departmental bank services, what the monetary value is of the contract between his Department and Goldman Sachs.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In relation to this contract between the Department and Goldman Sachs the monetary value was 43,573.

Regional Ministers: Travel

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Permanent Secretary of his Department has authorised expenditure on travel costs for the parliamentary assistant to the Minister for the East of England in accordance with the circumstances envisaged in the Cabinet Secretary's letter to Permanent Secretaries of 2 December 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No claims have been made.

St. George's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer given on 22 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 1584-5W, on St. George's Day 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the promotion of St. George's Day; and which  (a) groups and  (b) individuals submitted such representations;
	(2)  how many items of correspondence his Department has received regarding St. George's Day since 13 January 2009.

Barbara Follett: As at 24 March the Department had received four items of correspondence with St. George's Day as its main subject since 13 January.
	All four letters were from Members of Parliament. The Department holds no records of further representations on this subject during this time period.
	As I stated in my response of 22 January to the hon. Member, it is possible that further correspondence could mention St. George's Day as a secondary issue, but this correspondence could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many requests for Central Clearing House advice on freedom of information requests have been received in each quarter since January 2005; what information his Department holds on such requests; what procedures are in place to request central clearance; whether any changes have been made to such procedures since the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force; and who within his Department is responsible for providing Central Clearing House advice;
	(2)  how many responses to requests to his Department for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have been delayed because of consideration of the public interest test in each year since the Act's entry into force; and how many such requests have subsequently been refused on the basis of a ministerial certification under section 36 of the Act;
	(3)  how many meetings have taken place between the Information Commissioner's Office and his Department since 1 January 2008; and what records his Department holds of the matters discussed at each meeting;
	(4)  how many requests for decision notices under section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Information Commissioner's Office has received in each year since the entry into force of the Act; how many have been determined; how many have been  (a) withdrawn and  (b) not progressed to a formal decision notice; and how many remain outstanding;
	(5)  how many requests to the Information Commissioner's Office for decision notices under section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have been made in respect of  (a) his Department and  (b) its predecessor; how many have resulted in the issue of decision notices; and how many requests remain outstanding;
	(6)  how many staff at each grade in his Department work in its Information Directorate; how many such staff work in its Data Access and Compliance Unit; what changes in the personnel of  (a) that unit and  (b) any other unit undertaking such work there have been since January 2007; and what the reason for each change was;
	(7)  what information his Department holds on the intervention by the Information Commissioner in March 2008 in respect of handling of freedom of information requests by his Department; and what steps have been taken as a consequence;
	(8)  whether any officials from Government departments have been seconded to the Information Commissioner's Office to assist with casework.

Michael Wills: I will write to the hon. Member when I am in a position to do so and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Surveys

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many staff of his Department's Democracy, Constitution and Law directorate responded to the questions in its recent staff survey on  (a) the chance of getting their views heard,  (b) putting their priorities on the agenda,  (c) identifying things most important to them and  (d) identifying thoughts on how the directorate could be a great place to work;
	(2)  how many staff in his Department's Democracy, Constitution and Law directorate have legal qualifications; and how many are qualified  (a) solicitors and  (b) barristers in England and Wales;
	(3)  how many staff of his Department's Democracy, Constitution and Law Directorate there are at each  (a) Senior Civil Service and  (b) other Civil Service pay band;
	(4)  how many personnel work in the Democracy, Constitution and Law Directorate of his Department; how many have  (a) joined and  (b) left the Directorate since its creation; and how many are expected to leave in the next 12 months;
	(5)  what the pay band was of each member of his Department's Democracy, Constitution and Law Directorate who attended its awayday on 29 September 2008; which senior managers in the Directorate attended; where the awayday took place; what the cost to his Department of the awayday was; and what priorities for the Directorate have been set  (a) consequent upon and  (b) subsequent to the event;
	(6)  how many celebratory lunches the Permanent Secretary has hosted for staff of his Department since its establishment; on which date each such event was held; where each such event was held; who attended each such event; what the cost was of  (a) hosting and  (b) staff attendance at each such event; and whether staff attendance at each such event was regarded as part of the normal duties of such staff;
	(7)  how performance against the critical success factor in paragraph 3.1 of his Department's current business model is monitored; and what steps are taken against his Department's staff in circumstances where the standards required under this factor are not met.

Michael Wills: I will write to the hon. Member when I am in a position to do so and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Performing Arts

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1217-18W, on performing arts, what the cost was to his Department of engaging  (a) actors for each of the listed initiatives and  (b) musicians for the 18-24 Electoral campaign in 2005-06.

Shahid Malik: The Ministry of Justice spent the following on engaging  (a) actors for each of the listed initiatives and  (b) musicians for the 18-24 Electoral campaign.
	
		
			
			 Victims and Witnesses DVD Going to Court 6,250.00 
			 Domestic Violence DVD You Don't Have to Live in Fear n/a 
			 Community Sentencing CD-ROM Judge for Yourself n/a 
			 Diversity and fairness in the jury system 3,900.00 
			   
			 Musicians for the 18-24 Electoral campaign 0 
			 n/a = Not available. Figures that are not available cannot be broken down from overall project costs and to do so would be disproportionate to cost.

Detainees: Afghanistan

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 65-67WS, on the Justice and Home Affairs Council, what discussions she had with her EU counterparts on the return of Guantanamo detainees at the lunchtime meeting during the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 26 February 2009.

Jacqui Smith: During the Justice and Home Council on 26 February 2009 I took part in a closed working lunch for Interior Ministers during which there was an informal exchange of views on the situation in Guantanamo. Specifically, for the first time, Interior Ministers discussed the decision by US President Barack Obama to close the Guantanamo detention centre within a year.
	Following discussion in the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 26 January, where it was recognised that the primary responsibility for closing Guantanamo rests with the United States, discussions focused on whether there were ways in which member states could assist the United States, given common interests in counter-terrorism, human rights and the rule of law. It was also acknowledged that such potential assistance raised a number of political, legal and security issues which would need further study and consultation.
	Ministers agreed that any decision to accept former detainees was a national decision. Ministers also agreed that further discussion with the United States on this matter was desirable.

Group of Twenty: London Summit

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1186-7W, on Group of Twenty: London Summit, how much of the cost to the public purse is accounted for by policing costs.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 24 March 2009
	Policing costs are an operational matter for the Chief Officers of the forces concerned.
	Of the current estimate of 19 million for the costs of the London Summit it is thought that about a third of this is related to policing and security costs.

Immigration Controls: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 636-37W, on immigration controls: educational institutions, what will be acceptable as verifiable evidence that the necessary funds are available.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 30 March 2009
	The information requested by the hon. Gentleman is set out in paragraph 132 of the Tier 4 Policy guidance. This document is available in the House of Commons Library and has also been published on the UK Border Agency website.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 10 February 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr T Veal.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 25 March 2009.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to provide a substantive reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 17 February 2009 to the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency concerning a constituent, reference M3560/9.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 30 March 2009
	The chief executive of the UK Border Agency, Lin Homer, wrote to my hon. Friend on 25 March 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 19 February 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Rana Faisal Mahmood.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 25 March 2009.

Telecommunications: Databases

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1642W, on telecommunications: databases, when the public consultation process will commence.

Jacqui Smith: The communications data consultation publication date is currently being finalised. We intend to publish the document shortly.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2009,  Official Report, column 925W, on terrorism, how much  (a) has been spent and  (b) is expected to be spent by police forces in England and Wales on the delivery of counter-terrorism local profiles.

Vernon Coaker: Production of counter-terrorism local profiles (CTLPs) is a core function of police CT environments, and spending on CTLPs is not recorded separately. However, in order to provide support to the first round of production, we are making total funding of 688,252 available for 2009-10 to forces to increase analytical resources.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the then hon. Member for Ilford North of 16 July 1996,  Official Report, columns 494-6, on abortion, if he will make a statement on the statistically most likely candidate in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each health authority for an abortion in the latest year for which figures are available in terms of (i) the marital status of the woman, (ii) the age of the woman, (iii) the gestation of the pregnancy, (iv) the number of previous children born by the woman,  (e) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman and  (f) the legal grounds under which the abortion was performed; and how many abortions were performed in each health authority in each year since 1979, broken down by the above categories.

Dawn Primarolo: The information for 2007 is shown in the following table. The same information for the previous 28 years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Most common( 1 ) conditions for women having abortions in 2007, by strategic health authority of residence 
			   Marital Status  Age  Gestation  Number of previous children  Number of previous abortions  Ground 
			 England and Wales Single with partner 19  7 0 0 C 
			 East Midlands Single no partner 19 8 0 0 C 
			 East of England Single no partner 19 8 0 0 C 
			 London Single with partner 23 7 0 0 C 
			 North East Single with partner 20 8 0 0 C 
			 North West Single with partner 19 8 0 0 C 
			 South Central Single with partner 19 7 0 0 C 
			 South East Coast Single with partner 18 7 0 0 C 
			 South West Single with partner 19 8 0 0 C 
			 West Midlands Single with partner 20 7 0 0 C 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Single with partner 19 8 0 0 C 
			 Wales Single with partner 19 8 0 0 C 
			 (1) Statistical mode (highest frequency)

Blood: Donors

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 199W, on blood: donation, for what reasons the units were not transfused.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows total red cell units issued to hospitals in England and North Wales reporting data to the Blood Stocks Management scheme which were not transfused; the percentage of units issued which were not transfused; and a breakdown of the reasons the units were not transfused in each year since 2005-06:
	
		
			  Financial Year  Red cells issued and not transfused  Total percentage red cells issued and not transfused( 1)  Reason not transfused( 2)  Percentage breakdown by reason of units issued and not transfused 
			 2005-06 35,917 2.56 Time Expired 73.8 
			OTCOL 18.4 
			MISC 5.6 
			FF 2.2 
			 2006-07 31,620 2.24 Time Expired 70.2 
			OTCOL 21.3 
			MISC 7.1 
			FF 1.4 
			 2007-08 30,188 2.21 Time Expired 70.2 
			OTCOL 21.8 
			MISC 5.9 
			FF 2.1 
			 (1 )Figures given to one decimal place in answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 199W. (2) Wastage reasons: OTCOL-out of temperature control outside laboratory (unit failed thirty minute rule). FF-fridge failure (physical failure of blood bank). MISC-Miscellaneous (any other reason not covered by the other three reasons). 
		
	
	The figures given for the percentage of red cell units issued and not transfused for each financial year correct the information in the written answer given to the hon. Member on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 199W.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the contribution of the hon. Member for Bury South on 11 December 2007,  Official Report, column 52WH, when the Government plan to provide care home self-funders with access to an independent element in the complaints process.

Phil Hope: The Health Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions to extend the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman to allow service users who purchase their own adult social care services to have their complaint investigated by the Ombudsman. Subject to the passage of legislation, it is intended that the new scheme should be implemented in 2010.

Care Homes: Standards

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Eastbourne of 27 November 2007,  Official Report, column 416W, on care homes: standards, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report on the review of the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care.

Phil Hope: The review of the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care is ongoing. The revised Framework and support tools will be published later this year.

NHS: ICT

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 203-4W, on departmental ICT, on what occasions the exemption referred to has been applied in the NHS IT programme.

Ben Bradshaw: The exemption referred to has been relied upon in relation to extensions to the choose and book contract, 'spine' contract, and the current contracts with the programme's local service providers, BT and CSC. The Department has taken appropriate legal advice in all cases.

Respite Care: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2008,  Official Report, column 237W, on respite care, what percentage of the 150 million each primary care trust will receive, according to the weighted capitation formula.

Phil Hope: The 150 million is part of overall primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations. The 2008-09 PCT allocations represent a 74.2 billion investment in the national health service, which is increasing by a further 8.6 billion over 2009-10 and 2010-11. These overall allocations are not broken down into funding for individual policies by PCT. There is not a weighted capitation formula specific to respite care that would allow needs to be accurately identified at the local level. Rather it is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account both local priorities and the NHS operating framework.

Arms Trade: Exports

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 354W, on arms trade: exports, what assessment he has made of the compliance of UK legislation with the operational requirements of the EU Common Position on defining common rules governing the control of exports of military technology and equipment as set out in Articles 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK is in a position to implement the Common Position, and will not require any change to UK Legislation to comply with its operational requirements. However, the Statutory Guidance contained within the Export Control Act 2002 still refers to the language in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Statutory Guidance is currently being amended to reflect the adoption of the Common Position.

Belarus

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, column 21W, whether the President of Belarus will be invited to attend the Eastern Partnership summit in May.

Caroline Flint: The issue of whether to invite President Lukashenko to the Eastern Partnership summit in May 2009 has not yet been decided. EU member states will be discussing this issue shortly.

British Council: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2009,  Official Report, column 778W, on British Council: finance, if he will publish details of the professional evaluation in place to monitor the British Council's Reconnect Programme.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 27 March 2009
	 The British Council's Reconnect programme will be evaluated according to its ongoing monitoring and evaluation processes. The outcome of the British Council's programme and project evaluation is aggregated and published in the organisation's annual report.

Conflict Prevention

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 17-19WS, on conflict resources 2009-10, what the Government's expenditure on conflict resources in financial year 2008-09 was; and what proportion of this total was spent through the  (a) Conflict Prevention Pool,  (b) Stabilisation Aid Fund and  (c) Treasury Reserve for Peacekeeping.

Bill Rammell: The UK's total conflict resource envelope for 2008-09 (leaving aside the cost of UK military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq) was set at the time of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) at 559 million: 112 million Conflict Prevention Pool; 73 million Stabilisation Aid Fund; 374 million Peacekeeping Budget (PKB)although the PKB is an annual draw on the Treasury Reserve rather than part of the CSR settlement).

Conflict Prevention

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 17-19WS, on conflict resources 2009-10, what changes have been made to the funding for thematic programmes; what proportion of this funding will be allocated to  (a) security sector reform advisory,  (b) peacekeeping training,  (c) defence education in priority countries and  (d) the United Nations' Rule of Law Unit; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Strategic Support to International Organisations Programme (SSIO) will merge the existing Conflict Prevention Pool International Capacity Building and Security and Small Arms Control Programmes. Of the total 6.5 million allocated to SSIO  (a) 1,883,000 (28.9 per cent.) has been allocated to security sector reform advisory,  (b) 950,000 (14.6 per cent.) has been allocated to UK peacekeeping training,  (c) 1,000,000 (15.3 per cent.) for defence education, and  (d) 100,000 (1.5 per cent.) to the UN's Rule of Law Unit from of a total 2,069,000 (31.8 per cent.) of support to the UN Secretariat. Additionally there is an element of 408,000 (6.2 per cent.) for support to strategic secondments to international organisations and a contingency element of 190,000 (2.9 per cent.).

Overseas Territories Consultative Council

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 626-27W, on economic situation, what expenditure was incurred under what budgetary headings his Department incurred on its Overseas Territories Consultative Council held on 28 and 29 October 2008.

Gillian Merron: The overall cost of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council held on 28 and 29 October 2008 was 31,688.61 which breaks down as follows:
	
		
			
			 Conference facilities, including a formal lunch and evening reception 15,869.16 
			 Accommodation 10,414.10 
			 Transport 5,040.51 
			 Miscellaneous items 364.84 
		
	
	All charges were funded by the Overseas Territories Programme Fund, which is administered by the Overseas Territories Directorate other than the cost of the evening reception which was funded by the Government Hospitality fund which is administered by Protocol Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Western Sahara: Fisheries

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 228W, on Western Sahara: fisheries, if he will make it his policy to seek the inclusion of a reference to Western Sahara in any future fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco.

Bill Rammell: The current EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Association (FPA) came into force on 28 February 2007 and runs for four years. Any future negotiations on the expiry of the FPA will take into account any changes in the current situation of Western Sahara that may occur over that time.

Health Education: Sex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1248W, on health education: sex, if he will place in the Library a copy of the evidence the Sex and Relationships Education Steering Group commissioned on parents' views on sex and relationships education; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: A copy of the presentations given to the sex and relationships education (SRE) steering groupwhich summarised the available evidence on parents' views on SREwill be placed in the House Libraries. The presentations provided the basis for detailed discussion by the steering group (many of whom have practical experience of working with parents on SRE) on how schools can better engage with parents on SRE delivery.
	We believe that the provision of SRE should be a partnership between parents and schools. Parents should lead on instilling values in their children, but schools have a clear role in giving young people accurate information and helping them to develop the skills they need to make safe and responsible choices. Available evidence suggests that the majority of parents support the provision of SRE in schools.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Angus of 27 March 2006,  Official Report, column 741W, on public relations companies, 
	(1)  if he will list the public relations companies that have had contracts with  (a) his Department,  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and  (c) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department and other such organisations since March 2006; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such contract;
	(2)  how much was spent on each of the firms listed in the answer since June 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested in the two questions above is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  000 
			  DWP and its Agencies:  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Geronimo n/a 459 692 397 777 491 0 
			 Hill and Knowlton n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Forster Company n/a 0 0 217 0 0 0 
			 Trimedia Harrison Cowley Ltd (formerly Citigate Communications) n/a 0 0 0 190 133 0 
			 Fishburn Hedges n/a 0 0 0 369 295 598 
			 August One n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Porter Novelli n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Consolidated Communications n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Munroe and Foster n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 QBO Bell Pottinger n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 COI n/a 0 0 17 33 0 17 
			 Band and Brown n/a 0 242 0 0 0 0 
			 Beattie Communications n/a 0 o o 0 0 0 
			 Pergoda n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 GCI London n/a 0 308 383 112 0 0 
			  NDPB's:
			  (1) Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
			 Mandate (formerly AS Biss) n/a n/a n/a 129 180 241 0 
			 Weber Shandwick n/a 0 0 0 0 0 133 
			 GCI (UK) n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Exposure n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eloqui n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 PR21 n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Furner Communications n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  (2) Independent Living Fund(ILF)
			 Engage Group (formerly Limehouse) n/a 0 0 0 0 27 23 
			 Hill and Knowlton n/a 0 0 0 0 19 12 
			  (3) Pensions Protection Fund (PPF)
			 Fishburn Hedges n/a 0 0 0 36 71 26 
			 Martin Adeney Associates n/a 46 75 63 20 0 0 
			 David Felton Media Consultancy n/a 0 0 0 78 71 77 I 
			 Warwick Emmanuel n/a 2 16 26 33 27 45 
			 Compro PR n/a 29 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Impact Press and PR n/a 39 19 21 48 14 0 
			 Harris Associates n/a 6 80 93 109 123 93 
			 Nexus n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  (4) The Pensions Regulator (TPR)
			 Citigate Dewe Rogerson n/a 0 0 0 7 0 0 
			  (5) Remploy
			 Martin Adeney Associates 0 46 75 63 20 0 0 
			 David Felton Media Consultancy 0 0 0 0 78 71 77 
			 Warwick Emmanuel 0 2 16 26 33 27 45 
			 Compro PR 0 29 10 0 0 0 0 
			 Impact Press and PR 0 39 19 21 48 14 0 
			 Harris Associates 0 6 80 93 109 123 93 
			 Nexus 0 30 21 21 37 10 0 
			 n/a = Information is not available for 2001-02 as records were not held centrally and the Central Office of Information service was not being used. 
		
	
	The following NDPBs and other bodies have reported that they have incurred no expenditure with public relations agencies in the period in question:
	Disability Employment Advisory Committee
	Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board
	Equality 2025
	Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
	Personal Accounts Delivery Authority
	Pensions Ombudsman
	Social Security Advisory Committee
	Pensions Protection Fund Ombudsman
	The Pensions Advisory Service
	Working Ventures UK
	Motability
	Independent Review Service for the Social Fund
	The Disability Rights Commission, which was referred to in the March 2006 question, was dissolved from September 2007 and its paper and electronic records have been archived. The Department would incur disproportionate cost in accessing these records to obtain the required information.

Coal: Pollution Control

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 294-5W, on coal: pollution control, on what date his Department committed 2.2 million to an oxy-fuel combustion carbon capture and storage project; how much has been spent to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd was sent an Offer Letter Contract on 1 November 2007 by the then Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform stating an agreement to provide grant funding of some 2.2 million towards the development of an Oxy-fuel combustion project. 301,374.60 of that grant has been spent to date.

Kingsnorth Power Station

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1805W, on Kingsnorth power station, what timetable has been set for  (a) publication of the consultation document and  (b) completion of the consultation process in respect of a new framework for coal-fired power stations.

Mike O'Brien: The timetable for publication of a planned new consultation on a new framework for coal fired power stations has not yet been set.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Minister of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 4 November 2008 and re-faxed to the Minister's office on 5 February 2009, on Flogas.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 20 March 2009
	I responded to the hon. Member on 26 March 2009.

Natural Gas: Prices

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Romford of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 305W, on natural gas: prices, if he will publish the data on  (a) spot and  (b) future wholesale gas prices collected during 2008.

Mike O'Brien: The UK System Average Price is freely available on National Grid's webpage. Forward wholesale price data for the UK and other European gas hubs, which are sourced from proprietary information providers, cannot be published under the terms of the licence agreements.
	Data for US Henry Hub gas prices is available on a number of websites, including:
	http://www.barchart.com/
	DECC also produces assumptions for future trends in fossil fuel wholesale prices (including gas) up to 2030 which are used for modelling and other analytical work. This information is available on the following website:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46071.pdf

Natural Gas: Prices

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Romford of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 305W, on natural gas: prices, how many staff his Department employs to gather data on  (a) spot and  (b) future wholesale gas prices.

Mike O'Brien: One official is directly responsible, among other things, for collecting and compiling data on spot and forward UK, European and US gas prices.
	A team of four DECC energy market economists is also responsible, among other things, for the production of the Department's assumptions for future trends in fossil fuel wholesale prices (including gas), in consultation with other DECC colleagues.

Sellafield: Security

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Prime Minister's speech on nuclear energy on 17 March 2009, how the 70 million spent on security at Sellafield break down between budget headings since 2003; and what materials will be stored in the proposed storage facility.

Mike O'Brien: Following the events of 9/11 a comprehensive review was carried out on the security and emergency arrangements at the Sellafield site. The outcome of the review was a programme of enhancements, which included projects on: Risk Reduction; for enhanced physical security arrangements for the more sensitive facilities, Risk Mitigation; for enhanced contingency planning, which included the provision of aircraft style Fire Tenders and supporting equipment, and Risk Removal; for the consolidation of material, which entailed the transfer of nuclear material to more robust modern stores.
	The approximate breakdown of the costs associated with these projects is as follows:
	The Risk Reduction projects account for 40 per cent. of the costs;
	The Risk Mitigation projects account for 20 per cent.; and
	The Risk Removal projects account for 40 per cent.
	The storage facility mentioned is the Sellafield Product Residue Store which will be used for the safe and secure storage of plutonium bearing materials and residues.

Departmental Internet

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 2288-9W, how many hits each of the websites maintained by his Department received in each of the last 12-months.

Patrick McFadden: In the period March 2008February 2009 page views for the core BERR website:
	(www.berr.gov.uk)
	were:
	
		
			  Date  Page views 
			 March 2008 2,385,231 
			 April 2008 2,443,138 
			 May 2008 2,480,333 
			 June 2008 2,694,709 
			 July 2008 2,840,968 
			 August 2008 2,372,979 
			 September 2008 2,932,840 
			 October 2008 3,648,423 
			 November 2008 3,452,227 
			 December 2008 2,584,510 
			 January 2009 3,770,379 
			 February 2009 3,238,879 
		
	
	Other websites operated by the Department are not centrally managed. Information on visitor numbers for these sites is not centrally held and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to reply to the right hon. Member for North East Hampshire's letter of 26 November 2007 to the Lord Chancellor, transferred to his Department in December 2007, on his constituent, Miss Mollye Huddleston.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 12 March 2009
	I responded to the right hon. Member on 20 March.

Performing Arts

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 528W, on performing arts, what expenditure his Department and its predecessor incurred in engaging  (a) actors,  (b) musicians and  (c) other performers in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) event and (ii) initiative.

Patrick McFadden: This information is not held centrally or readily disaggregated from contracted expenditure with suppliers. It could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Postal Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what meetings  (a) the Secretary of State and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) TNT, (ii) DHL, (iii) UPS, (iv) FedEx and (v) the Communication Workers' Union since 3 October 2008.

Patrick McFadden: The Secretary of State has met the CWU on:
	22 October 2008
	19 December 2008
	13 January 2009
	9 February 2009
	and TNT on 9 December 2008 and 30 January 2009.
	I met TNT on 18 March 2009 and the CWU on 22 October 2008, 2 February 2009 and 23 February 2009.
	Shriti Vadera met TNT on 17 March.

Science and Innovation: Expenditure

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1342W, on business: Government assistance, how much was spent by each regional development agency on science and innovation in each year since 1999.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 20 March 2009
	The following table shows expenditure by each RDA on science and innovation since 2001-02. The RDAs retain records of the last seven years. To provide records before this period will incur disproportionate costs.
	The figures are based on the proportion of expenditure that was directly attributable to science or innovation. The increase in spending from 2001-02 to 2002-03 onwards was due to the introduction of the single programme budget, which enabled RDAs to have more flexibility around investment decisions.
	
		
			  RDAs expenditure on science and innovation 
			   million 
			  RDAs  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 AWM (1) 6.2 10.5 13 18.7 18.4 32.7 
			 EEDA 3.2 4.5 5.2 9.5 33.7 22 23.2 
			 EMDA 0.4 2 9.3 5.2 12.6 13.9 18 
			 LDA 4.2 14.4 22 38.2 43.7 46.8 59.2 
			 NWDA 2.5 33 40 63 88 85 91 
			 ONE 10.4 28.5 47.5 45.4 42 53.8 45.6 
			 SEEDA 1.6 5.1 5.5 8.1 18.8 25.9 26.3 
			 SWRDA * 4.1 26.3 20.1 13 16.5 24.4 
			 YF 4.2 44.4 22 38.2 43.7 46.8 59.2 
			 (1 )Due to a change in accounting methods, data are unavailable before 2002.

Small Businesses: Holiday Leave

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the cost to small businesses of the increase in holiday entitlement from 1 April 2009.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 27 March 2009
	The Government worked very closely with small businesses and their representatives during the consultation process and in developing the final regulations. That is why the holiday entitlement was increased in two phases spread over 18 months, and the regulations provided other transitional arrangements, in order to help business make the necessary changes.
	An assessment of the likely effects and costs on business, including on small and medium enterprises, was contained in the final regulatory impact assessment published in June 2007, which can be found on the BERR website at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/page36462.html

Written Questions: Government Responses

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to answer Question 248248, on loss of departmental property, tabled on 12 January 2009.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column reference 637W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to answer question  (a) 250233,  (b) 250231 and  (c) 250232 on the small firms loan guarantee scheme tabled on 19 January; what the reason for the time taken to reply to each is; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 March 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member's questions on 17 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1131-32W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he plans to answer Question 252766, on Heathrow expansion, tabled on 26 January 2009.

Ian Pearson: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 27 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 737-38W.